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A poll released this morning by the Siena Research Institute shows Barack Obama is on track to carry the Empire State by nearly the same margin as in 2008, suggesting his coattails could help fellow Democrats in down ticket races.

Fifty-nine percent of the 750 “likely” voters surveyed said they supported Obama’s bid for a second term, compared to 35 percent who said they would vote for ex-Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee. In 2008, Obama carried New York by a 63-36 margin.

“While Romney has shored up his base of Republican voters – now matching the support Obama
enjoys among Democrats – independent voters have moved even stronger than previously into the President’s camp, by a 25-point margin, up from eight points in August,” said poll spokesman Steve Greenberg. “Obama’s lead is largest in New York City but he leads in the downstate suburbs and upstate too. He has a narrow 49-45 percent lead among white voters and an overwhelming lead among minority voters, including a 97-0 percent lead with black voters.”

The poll found Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand with a whopping 67-24 over Republican nominee Wendy Long. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is viewed favorably by 67 percent of voters, who approve of the job he’s doing by a 58-40 margin.

The survey also found that 63 percent of voters surveyed want to see Democrats control the state Senate, something members of the conference took a chance to boast about.

“Today’s Siena poll once again proves that New Yorkers believe that Senate Democrats better represent their values. From all corners of the state, New Yorkers overwhelmingly want Democrats in control of the State Senate,” said Mike Murphy, a spokesman for Senate Democrats. ”Whether it is raising the minimum wage, supporting affordable health care, protecting women’s health ,standing up for pay equity or enacting common sense gun control New Yorkers agree with the Senate Democrats’ agenda and prefer that the Senate return to Democratic control this November. Senate Republicans have moved far to the right, away from the average New Yorker and as Governor Cuomo has made clear there is no place in New York for extreme conservative thinking.”

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